Friday, July 23, 2004

During the past few days, four different customers have contacted us by email or phone to express frustration over their inability to find their way from the first page of our website to our database.  Of course, the link is "Search Land Records" but these folks were all first-time registry users and "Search Land Records" didn't quite describe what they were trying to do.  Instead, they each clicked on the "Deed - how to get a copy of yours" link on the website.  Unfortunately, that only connected them to a rather stale Frequently Asked Questions page that was of no help.  Fortunately, they contacted us and we did what we should have done long ago, added some instructions on how to find documents on our website.  Even you experienced users might want to take a glance at this PDF document that you can reach by the link underneath "Search Land Records" or from "Deeds - Get a Copy . . ."  If you have any comments about this new document, please send them along.  I mention this episode for several reasons.  I want to thank those individuals who took the time to give us feedback about the website.  I believe their comments have caused us to improve the site.  And I use it as an example of how the website can allow for two-way communications between us and our users (although it doesn't take four - or three or even two - comments to get us to change something).  On another note, don't forget to visit the Lowell Folk Festival this weekend in downtown Lowell.  If you haven't checked it out before, you'll be very pleasantly surprised by what you see, hear, smell and taste.  I always enjoy overhearing festival-goers from out of town saying things like "I can't believe Lowell is this beautiful."  Check out the Festival's website at www.lowellfolkfestival.org.

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